The primary object of pocket billiards is to stroke cue ball to an object ball such that the object ball is driven in a desired direction. The object ball is driven either, to a ball pocket, to another billiard ball, or to a particular point on a selected rail on the billiard table.
A player must become good at eyeing the aiming point near the object ball in order to drive it in a desired direction. It is necessary for the player not only to stroke the cue ball properly but to also learn to visualize the aiming point in free space near the object ball. This aiming point, which can also be referred to as a strike point, a sight point, a cue ball strike point, a desired point of contact of aim, or true point of aim is not a spot on the object ball. The true point of aim is an aim or strike point spaced a distance equal to one-half the diameter of the object ball from the surface of the object ball and one-half the diameter of the object ball from the surface of the billiard table. Therefore, the correct aim point is an imaginary point in free space closely associated with the object ball. The cue ball aiming device of the present invention helps develop the skill in visualizing this strike point or aim point in a contact zone near the object ball. If a cue ball is shot so that its center is directed at that contact zone in free space near the object ball, once the cue ball strikes the object ball, the object ball will move in the desired intended line of travel. The solution is to teach a player how to visualize this strike or aim point near the object ball.
A primary limitation of the prior art devices that such devices are cumbersome to set up, they are in the line of sight of the cue ball or object ball, they are complex to understand, or they can interfere with the movement of the object ball after the object ball is struck by the cue ball. Particular devices disclosing such teaching aids are disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,268,033; 3,411,779; 3,947,026; 3,711,091; 3,410,555; 3,843,120; 6,527,647; 4,178,694; 4,151,990; and 4,337,943. U.S. Pat. No. 4,268,033 shows a cue ball aiming device which is placed on the surface of the billiard table and over the object ball. This device, however is cumbersome to use, restricts the player's sight of the object ball, and can interfere with the travel of the cue ball to the object ball or interfere with the travel of the object ball after it is struck by the cue ball. U.S. Pat. No. 3,411,779 shows a training device which is also positioned over the object ball. However, once this device is moved away from the object ball the player still faces having to visualize the strike point in free space. The remaining patents referenced show devices that in one way or another rest on the billiard table or near the object ball, and all have the problem of either restricting in one way or another the travel of the cue ball to the object ball or after removal of the device from the table the player is faced with the problem of having to re-visualize the strike point.